Tightwad Tuesday: Frugal Shaving
We go through a lot of razors in our house. Has anyone noticed that razors get dull rather quickly? And at $8 for 4 replacement blades, I cringe every time I need to replace the blades. I suppose my husband could grow a beard and I could go au naturale, but I can’t handle either of those options. I like a close, clean shave on both my husband’s face and my legs. So what’s a girl (or guy) to do?
A friend just tipped me off to a frugal solution. Now, I haven’t tried this yet, so I can’t personally vouch for it, but Sarah is adamant that it works. I believe her exact words were:
This product ROCKS! Buy it!
I promise she’s not affiliated with the product in any way. What’s the product? The Save A Blade. Apparently it sharpens your razor, so you can get more shaves out of your blades.
Sarah said it works well on both her 4 blade razor and her husband’s 5 blade razor. I noticed it had mixed reviews online, but from what I can tell, you have to make sure to get the razor set in the Save a Blade properly. I also read that it works better if you start with a relatively new razor and keep it in good shape, rather than trying to resurrect a really old razor.
At $20 I may see if I can find a sale or a rebate and give it a try. If I can make my razors last twice as long, it would be worth it!
Other frugal shaving tips:
- Use soap rather than expensive shaving creams or gels. It works well for me.
- Dry your razor between shaves. It will preserve the blade.
- I know nothing about shaving for men, but Gibble has a great article on getting the perfect shave for less money.
- Use a good razor, rather than disposables. Less waste and a better shave. Rather than spending the money on a good razor, you can often find freebies online. My Schick Quattro was free after I saw the deal posted on the Fishing for Deals forums. Come to think of it, that’s how I got my husband’s Schick Quattro, too.
Do you know of any frugal shaving tips that I missed? Please share!
Photo by SeaDave.
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By Lynnae McCoy, on Apr 22, 2008
I'm Lynnae, wife of one and stay-at-home mom of two. I'm committed to getting out of debt by being frugal with my choices in life.
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I don’t like how soap dries out my skin so I shave after my shower using moisturizing lotion.
It is totally ridiculous how expensive razors are and I gave up using shaving cream a long time ago.
Thanks for the tips!
My husband uses an electric razor. I don’t know what it cost initially, but I think he got it for Christmas. He replaces the blade thing maybe once per year, and it costs like $20 or $30.
It works the best for him, and there’s no shaving foam to buy.
I’ve read that the best thing you can do for a razor when you are done with it is dry it off and stick it in mineral oil (like have a glass of it sitting on your sink). The thing that corrodes blades and make them dull is oxidation from water being left on the blade. The mineral oil not only prevents water from being on it, it isn’t sitting out in the air to be oxidized either.
I just cringe every time I have to buy replacement cartridges. I’ll give the product a try to see if I can at least extend the life of them! Thanks for the tip.
I’ve gone back to shaving the way my father did — and the way I used to when I was young: using a Gillette Super Speed razor and lathering up with a brush and soap. The razor cost less than $10.00 on eBay and the blades are pennies each. The razor is over 50 years old and will probably last another 50 years … and it works great.
They call it wet shaving and you can read more about it on blogs like badgerandblade.com.
Al
I have to use shaving gel or else I end up with razor burn. But one trick I learned is that you can also use hair conditioner in place of shaving gel. If you’re price concious, you can usually find big bottles of conditioner at a far cheaper cost than those small cans of shaving gel. It’s also a good way to use up conditioner if you buy it and don’t like what it does for your hair.
I still use disposable razors. I get them for free at drugstores after coupons and I have oodles. I recycle every one of them. I even get the cartridges for free sometimes. DH likes to use his electric razor but I need a closer shave than that. Almost every week another drugstore has razors on sale practically free. As long as I keep recycling them, I don’t have a problem using disposables.
Like Kacie’s husband we both use electric razors in our house, although we switch out the blades possibly even less frequently.
Electric razors have improved lots and give a very smooth shave I find. Also no need for lathering up. They can be an expensive purchase initially but save so much in the long run.
I’ve had good luck buying gillete fusion blades at the local swap meet/flea market. I used a product for a while that required you to keep your razor in a liquid between shaves and that really allowed my blades to last longer. I suspect it is the same as keeping your razor in mineral oil.
I like to use Dr. Bronner’s soap as my shaving cream. I get the best shave with it and I think my blades last longer.
I use baby oil both for shaving and for storing my razor. I have a cheap disposable razor, but I’ve been using it for several weeks (storing it in a jar of baby oil after each shave) and it’s still sharp.
Lifehacker has a post on the topic: http://lifehacker.com/321647/e.....twarehowto
You need to check out razorsdirect.com. I have found some fairly decent deals on there. But you have to be willing to buy in bulk because those are the best deals. Also, I once found the cartridges I use at Sams and it was about 1/3 of the cost of the grocery store.
I have also heard that if you put your blades in vodka they will stay sharper. Just be sure that you rinse them off before you shave in case you nick yourself or that would sting. This is similar to mineral oil I guess but its an alternative in case you don’t have any.
I have mostly been using free sample razors and each time one dies I have another one requested. It’s definitely doable if you look for it.
Mineral oil. I never would have thought of that. I might try that, since I have a bottle of mineral oil sitting around here somewhere. Thanks!
i know razors give the closest sahve but for me i only use wet razors for specail occassions the rest of the time i use mu plug in razor which i find good enough. It may mean that i have to use more often but for saving money it is great.
Like Jenn above, I use baby oil. I was out of shave gel and have very dry/sensitive skin. I had read that baby oil would work and since I had some in a closet decided to try it. It is great…and keeps my legs soft. The other benefit is that my disposable razors last a LOT longer.
I’ve been singing the frugal praises of traditional wetshaving ever since I made the switch to a old-school double-edge razor. Double-edge blades are mere cents apiece and the razor, if taken care of, lasts a LONG time. Forget disposables…take Al’s advice above.
I think I might try baby oil next time I shave. Great idea!
How do you recycle disposable razors, not meaning to sound too dumb?
I purchase my cartridge replacements on eBay.
I stopped shaving…we have saved a ton on razors since! :-)
It cost more up front, but I got laser hair removal, on bikini line, underarm and leg, and now, I can literally just tweeze the few hairs that have grown back in. I realize that it will take a long time to pay back the cost of the blades I would have bought, but oh my, the time I have saved is enormous and I am sundress ready.
Al’s Shaving Cream gives the closest shaves with no irritation. The cream lathers big and fast and the scents are incredible. Learn more about Al’s Shaving Creams at alsshaving.com